Under the Light of a Thousand Stars
by Anetha
Summary: Brittany lost her parents when she was a baby, grew up with only her aunt Janet raising her. Never could two people have loved each other more. Now living and working in New York, wealthy but alone at the age of 29 Brittany must return to her childhood home when her aunt leaves her everything in her will. Her world turned upside down, Brittany must find the strength to start over.
1. Prologue

The gravel driveway crackles and slides beneath the tyres. Tyres that until today have never known anything beside paved city streets and highways.

The car slows to a stop and the engine purs into silence. The sun shines through the beautiful hanging oak trees and the birds sing and flutter about the leaves.

She takes a slow, deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. With all the nervous air exhaled from her lungs, she opens the door. Her high heels don't agree with the gravel beneath as she stands and closes the car door behind her.

Smoothing out her black pencil skirt and taking another deep breath in, Brittany takes a few steps forward, sliding her sunglasses on-top her head.  
Her crystal blue eyes blink and stare up and all around where she stands, taking it all in.

The absolute quiet. The fresh, crisp country air with the warm smell of grass and wild blooming flowers.

Everything is as picturesque as she remembered it. It feels as though not a single thing has changed since the last time she stood here, all those years ago.

The white house she adored so much as child, standing before her in all it's grandeur. It's warm welcoming porch with crystal clear windows and dark blue shutters. The lush grass of the surrounding land, the sort of rich colored green she had almost forgotten existed.

Everything was beautiful and perfect. Just like it always had been.

The front door squeaked on its hinges as she stepped inside. Fiddling with the keys in her hands as she laid eyes on the same rooms she had etched firmly in her memory. It was strangely quiet but still just as she remembered it.

The warmth, comfort and love flooded through her as childhood memories came rushing back like forgotten ghosts.

Brittany smiled at the memory of her young laughter ringing through the house as she would run downstairs and outside to play. Suddenly wondering if that tyre swing she adored so much was still hanging from that old tree out back.

Nothing had changed.

The smell of her aunts perfume lingered in the walls and furniture. It was as though she was still there, still standing it the kitchen making Brittany's favorite sandwich and her famous freshly squeezed lemonade.

Brittany closed her eyes as she felt her throat begin to tighten and her heart thud deep in her chest. It was all so overwhelming.

It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling.

Just, overwhelming.

She turned and walked back out onto the porch, locking the front door. Her shaking hands sliding her sunglasses back down over her eyes.

Glancing down at her watch to see it was only early afternoon, the agent wouldn't be there to meet her with the paperwork for another two o so hours.

She knew she could take the numerous bags piled up on the backseat inside and find a place for her clothes, but at that moment it was the last thing she felt like doing.

She needed to take a moment. A moment to breathe.

Soon she was driving back along the gravel driveway and out onto the quiet country road. Her life and career back in New York felt so far away as she took in the small township she was approaching.

The locals were out walking around with their children, enjoying the sunshine of this beautiful Saturday afternoon.  
The strip of local shops and stores were busy with people walking in and out but still a far cry from the sights she was used to back in the big city.

It was simple here. Small, quiet and yet utterly gorgeous.

All the love she had for this place as a child started to bloom again inside of her. She couldn't help but smile at the familiar sights and sounds around her.

Brittany pulled up along the main road and parked outside "Tides", the local bar all the grownups would hang out at back in the day. It was the social hub of the town as she recalled but as a child never got to see the inside of it.

Her silver BMW sparkled in the sun and stood out amongst the old beaten-up trucks and Utes parked nearby. Her outfit was also less than ideal for what this town would probably be used to seeing, but despite feeling out of place at that very moment, Brittany knew deep down that Madison, Nebraska was the only true place she had ever called home.

Her world had been completely turned upside down in a matter of only a few weeks. Situations she never thought she would be facing and decisions she never thought she would be forced to make.

But here she was.

As she pushed open the old door to the bar, Brittany hoped she could finally just take a moment to relax and figure out what her next move was going to be.

Maybe then her world would stop spinning.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1. 

* * *

The old, heavy door of the bar closes with a thud behind her.

She stands still for a moment and just looks around. The bar is the perfect stereotype of what you might see in an old Hollywood film.

It is very large and spacious, but at the same time very cosy and welcoming. Brittany smiles at the dim lights, smokey haze and the gentle country melodies coming from the duke-box.

Brittany can't help but smile fondly as she looks around, men and woman of all ages crammed together around little tables sharing a cool drink on this typically warm afternoon. Clearly this is where the majority of the towns folk like to spend their Saturday afternoons as the bar is full of laughter and chatter amongst friends.

Brittany walks through the busy tables towards the main bar, and as she moves she can feel the curious eyes watching her. In a town this size, she is certain it won't take very long for everyone to find out exactly who she is and why she's there.

She finds an empty stool at the far corner of the bar and gracefully slides up onto it, smoothing down her pencil skirt and crossing her legs.

Several men sitting alongside her tip their glasses and smile in acknowledgement and Brittany returns the gesture with a soft smile of her own.

"What can I get you love?" Brittany smiles at the petite, brunette barmaid that had popped up in front of her.

"Hi, can I just get a whiskey and coke?"

"Coming right up." The girl smiles and walks away to grab a large bottle off the shelf and a glass before coming back to stand in front of where Brittany was seated.

"So you must be Janet's niece." The girl smiles knowingly as she starts to pour the dark liquid into the glass. Brittany raises her eyebrows curiously but returns the friendly smile. "I am, how did you know?"

"I saw you drive in and noticed the New York plates." Brittany nods her head in understanding as the girl places the coaster and drink in front of her.

"Janet talked about you all the time, so with the car and the outfit it wasn't had to figure out." She laughs teasingly as she gestures towards the blondes clothes.

Brittany laughs and looks around at nearly everyone in the bar wearing jeans and t-shirts, and a few curious eyes still watching her. "I guess I stand out a little huh?"

The brunette giggles and winks at the blonde. "Just a little. My name is Sugar by the way." She leans forward and extends her hand over the bar which Brittany immediately accepts with a gentle shake.  
"Brittany Pierce. It's nice to meet you."

"So you knew my aunt?" Brittany asks as she takes a sip of the cool drink she ordered.

Sugar leans back, takes the cloth from the front of her apron and starts to wipe the moisture off the bar. "Sure did. Janet would come by some nights and have a drink with the girls. As you can see this joint is where all the locals like to hang out." She gestures to the dozens of people around them with a couple more coming in through the door.

Sugar turns back towards Brittany with a sad smile, "I'm really sorry, she was a very sweet lady. We miss her around here." Brittany smiles warmly at her words and the thought of her aunt.  
"Thank you. She always said how much she loved this town and the people in it more than anything." Brittany smiled playing with the coaster as she took another sip from her drink.

Sugar smiled sweetly and placed the cloth back in her apron. "Oh yes, she was a true Nebraska girl through and through. I'm guessing that's what brings you back here, your aunts house and everything?"  
Brittany nods her head and swallows another sip, holding the glass in front of her. She is about to place it down and reply when she suddenly pauses, catching sight of something behind Sugar.

The are two other waitresses serving drinks along the bar but what Brittany sees is the woman that just walked out to the bar from the back office.

Brittany doesn't move, she doesn't blink. She just stares.

The girl has long, dark hair hanging softly around her shoulders. She is wearing black boots, tight black jeans with a plain red singlet top. He skin glows warmly in the dim bar light and she is without a doubt the most beautiful person Brittany has ever laid eyes on.

As though feeling the eyes on her, the woman slowly tilts her head up from the paperwork shes holding and looks straight down the bar at Brittany.

As impossible as it seems, it honestly felt as though time itself had slowed down in that moment.

Brittany feels her heart race and the breath catch in her throat.

Sugar, with Brittany's lack of response, notices the shift on the blondes face and glances behind to see where Brittany is looking.  
She cannot contain her huge smile as she looks to see the person staring back at the blonde. Sugar turns back and continues to smile at the look on Brittany's face. She may have only just met the girl, but Sugar knows that look.

She recognizes that look.

Sugar clears her throat and tries to stop smiling so big. "That's Santana. She owns this place." She watches as Brittany nods her head slowly, hearing her but not looking at her.

Down the bar, Santana's eyes are still locked with Brittany's. Moments pass until one of the waitresses comes up in front of her and blocks her view.

It's only then that Brittany realizes she had just been sitting there staring. She clears her throat and takes a large mouthful from the glass, finishing her drink.

She then looks up to see Sugar smiling knowingly at her, Brittany can feel the sudden heat rising in her cheeks.

"Sorry, I-I should get going, I have a meeting with real estate agent." Brittany stutters out in a rush and takes a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts.

She has no idea what the hell just happened to her.

"Mm-hm." Sugar giggles as she watches the flustered blonde stand up from the bar stool and look through her purse.  
Brittany takes out some notes and places them on the bar. "Thanks for the drink, it was really nice to meet you Sugar." She smiles sincerely at the petite girl, it was a nice way to be welcomed back to town by a friendly smile.

"It was nice to meet you too Brittany, hopefully I'll see you around soon." Sugar asks sweetly as the blonde begins to move away.

"Definitely." Brittany smiles and gives a friendly little wave before turning and walking back through the busy tables, with some people still watching curiously as she goes.

As she reaches the door, Brittany doesn't know how but she can feel those dark brown eyes back on her. It takes all her strength not to turn around and look.

She swallows the lump rising in her throat and pushes through the heavy door. 

* * *

Once outside she squints at the bright sunlight and slowly walks towards her car, her high-heels slipping slightly on the gravel.

At the car Brittany stops and glances back towards the bar, seeing nothing but dark windows and hearing the dull thud of music.

Remembering the girl she saw inside. Santana.

Brittany shakes her head slightly and whispers softly to herself, "What the hell?"

After a few seconds she turns back, opening her car door and sliding inside.

Moments later, driving back through the main street of town, Brittany runs a hand through her hair with a frustrated sigh, "Seriously, what the hell was that?"

With a sigh, Brittany turns the radio on and heads back towards the house with the windows down, letting the warm air blow soothingly through her hair.

* * *

Back at the bar, Santana stands at one of the front windows, having walked over only in time to see the silver car drive out of the parking lot.

The hustle and bustle of the bar continues on behind her as she crosses her arms and feels a smile forming on her lips.

After a while she glances to her left when she feels someone come up and stand beside her.

Sugar stands there looking out the same window.  
"Her name is Brittany Pierce. She's Janet's niece."

Sugar smiles knowingly as she looks up to see Santana nod her head and continue to look out the window.  
"I guess she's here because of the house." Sugar turns to look directly at the brunette.

Santana just nods her head again, "Yeh, I guess so."  
She can feel the eyes boring into her and isn't surprised when she turns to see Sugar standing there with a huge smile on her face directed at her.

Santana knows that smile and rolls her eyes. "Shut up Sugar." She feels the heat rise in her cheeks as she turns and walks away, back towards the bar.

Sugar laughs and holds her hands up innocently, "What? I didn't say anything! Santana, what did I do?!"

She giggles to herself as she glances out the window once more before following Santana back to the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

Brittany feels the warmth of the sun on her shoulders as she stares down at the piece of paper in her hands.

She takes a long, calming breath in before looking back at the woman in front of her.

The frizzy haired lady is currently packing the heap of freshly signed papers back into her briefcase that rests on the hood of her car.

"Well, that's it my dear, she's all yours." The woman smiles kindly as she places her briefcase back inside the car before walking up to stand in front of Brittany.

"My number is up the top of that form if there is anything you need." Brittany nods and returns the friendly smile.  
"Thank you so much Mrs Dawson, I really appreciate you coming out here."

"It was a pleasure dear, and call me Anne! Your aunt would have a pink fit if she heard you address me so formally." They both laugh and Brittany takes another deep breath in, staring down at the gravel beneath her.

Anne steps closer and gently places her hands on Brittany's shoulders. "Whatever you decide to do from here, I know Janet would be so proud of you Brittany."

Brittany smiles and wipes the stray tear falling from her eye, appreciating the kind words.

Anne rubs Brittany's arms softly before stepping back towards her car. "I wish you all the best sweetheart, and make sure you call me! Oh and drop into the coffee shop one of these days, my husband would love to meet you!"

Brittany laughs and nods her head, "I will, I promise. Thanks again Anne."

The two wave goodbye to each other and Brittany stands there watching as the black car turns and heads back up the long gravel driveway.

The car eventually turns out of sight and the dust behind it slowly begins to settle.

The birds continue to sing and the smell of fresh blooming flowers still sits heavily in the air. Brittany turns around and looks up at the house in front of her.

Her house.

Signing those papers over into her name may have taken only a few minutes, but Brittany knew it was a moment that was going to change her life forever.

Running her hand through her hair she takes a few steps forward. This time she nearly falls over as she slips again on the gravel.

"First things first. I'm getting out of these stupid shoes."

She treads carefully the rest of the way across the drive before walking up the porch steps. Once inside the front door she slips her high-heels off and kicks them across the wooden floor. They land near the numerous bags and boxes of Brittany's belongings lying scattered around.

Brittany sighs at the sight in front of her, and looking down at the outfit she's still wearing, she suddenly regrets not labeling which boxes had all her clothes in them.

* * *

Later that afternoon Brittany finds herself in the old, familiar kitchen, standing over the sink, running cold water over her arms.

She tries to wash the greasy engine oil from her skin with soap before looking down at the rest of the mess.

Her old grey t-shirt is covered in dirt and oil. The short jean-shorts she changed into have gone relatively unscathed but her thighs have specks of oil dripping down them. And as for the white sneakers she eventually found at the bottom of one of the boxes, they are now a significant shade or two darker.

Her blonde hair has escaped unharmed, tied back in a loose ponytail, but she's certain she can feel a smudge of grease on her left cheek and above her right eyebrow.

Brittany shuts off the water and grabs a nearby cloth, drying her arms and dabbing the dirty streaks on her shirt.

Which, she quickly finds out, is totally useless.

"Good work Britt," She sighs to herself in agitation as she bends down to begin to rub the grease from her legs.

There's a soft knock at the front door.

Brittany stands, tucks some loose hair behind her ear and looks down at herself. Having no other choice she just rolls her eyes and heads out of the kitchen towards the entryway.

Continuing to rub the cloth up and down her arm, Brittany turns the handle and pulls the front door open.

All her internalized anger suddenly vanishes when she sees who is there. Her eyes go wide and she squeezes the cloth tight in her hand.

Standing there, on the front porch of her aunts house, is the girl she saw earlier that day at the bar.

Santana.

The gorgeous brunette is wearing the same red singlet top and black boots from earlier, but now she has on cut-off jeans shorts similar to the ones Brittany's wearing.

Santana smiles and lifts the sunglasses from her eyes, pushing them back to sit atop her head amongst her long, flawless hair.  
Brittany has no idea was the hell is happening and is surprised she's even able to function enough to return the girls smile.

Santana licks her lips nervously and shifts slightly where she stands. "Hi there. I saw you at the bar earlier but didn't get a chance to introduce myself."

Her voice is pure heaven. Brittany mentally slaps herself out of her stupor and takes a step forward into the doorway.

Santana extends her hand and Brittany automatically lifts her own up, instantly loving the warm, soft touch as her hand slips into the brunettes.

"I'm Santana Lopez."

Brittany clears her throat nervously. "Brittany Pierce."

The girls smile sweetly at each other, never once looking away from the others eyes.

Brittany cant get over how utterly beautiful Santana's smile is as their hands eventually separate.

"It's nice to meet you Brittany." Brittany cant stop smiling and the butterflies in her stomach have multiplied and simply cannot stop fluttering.

After a few moments of staring into each others eyes, Santana clears her throat with a smile and begins to fiddle with her hands.  
"I hope you don't mind a stranger dropping in like this but my friend at the bar told me you were Janet's niece, so I knew where to find you."  
Santana gestures to the house and continues to smile sweetly at the blonde.

"No not at all! I'm guessing you're talking about Sugar?" Brittany asks with a smile as she too begins to fidget with the cloth shes holding in her hands.

Santana laughs lightly and nods her head. "Yes, you'll come to realize that Sugar knows anything and everything about everyone. Nothing goes on in this town without Sugar knowing about it first."

Brittany laughs at the memory of the sweet and bubbly girl she met earlier. Something about her just seemed so friendly and genuine. She couldn't help but take an instant liking to the girl.

"I'll keep that in mind." Brittany bites her lip as she unabashedly stares at the beautiful girl standing in front of her.

Santana, noticing the look, continues to smile and places her hands in the tiny pockets of her shorts, hoping to stop the nervous fidgeting.

Glancing into the house behind Brittany, Santana raises her eyebrows in amusement. "Wow, little bit of unpacking to do?"

Brittany turns to look at the many, many bags and boxes she had left sitting in the entryway.

Somehow they appear to have multiplied in the last few hours.

"Yeh, just a bit. I keep hoping if I just ignore them, they might magically disappear." Brittany scrunches up her nose and Santana laughs at the cute expression on the blondes face.

She glances down the length of Brittany's body, finding it impossible not to stare at the girls long athletic legs.

Santana clears her throat nervously again. "So, instead of unpacking you decided to dig for oil instead?" She teases with a smile and Brittany's face drops as she suddenly remembers the state she's in.

"Oh god." Brittany hides her face behind the cloth in embarrassment as Santana giggles sweetly in front of her. The sound causing Brittany's smile to return.

After a moment she drops her arms back by her sides and her eyes gaze at Santana apologetically for the horrible way she looks.

"I'm sorry I must look awful. I was trying to fix my aunts truck." Brittany gestures down to the right of the house, where the old baby blue truck pokes out from the shed with it's hood propped open.

"She loved that thing but it hasn't been driven for years. I tried to fiddle around with some things to see if I could get it to work, but it decided to throw up on me."

Santana's laugh only causes Brittany to smile even wider. There was something about the girl that had Brittany completely and utterly mesmerized.

Santana looks over at the truck for a moment and then back to Brittany with a cheeky smile. "Do you mind if I take a look? I know a thing or two about those trucks and their temperamental engines."

Brittany couldn't be happier at the surprise offer.

Besides, the last thing she wanted was for this gorgeous creature to leave.

"Please be my guest, but I'll bring this cloth along just in-case."

Santana smiles and winks before turning around, hopping down the porch steps and heading across the front yard towards the truck.

Brittany stands there with a silly smile on her face watching the girl walk away. Her body, her hair, her skin, her voice, everything had Brittany tangled up in knots. And they had only just met!

Brittany had no idea what brought this kind, sexy, beautiful woman to her doorstep that day, but she suddenly wanted to find that Sugar girl and give her great big hug in thanks.

Brittany smooths out her dirty clothes as best she could and takes a deep breath in to try and calm herself down before quickly following Santana's footsteps.


End file.
